The availability of waterproof or water resistant fabrics for outerwear presents challenges to create seams that share the water shedding characteristics of the fabrics. Waterproof or water resistant garments are constructed using laminated waterproof fabrics, in which an outer face fabric of water repellant material and a hydrostatic barrier material inside the outer face fabric have been bonded together prior to fabrication of the garment.
The use of such laminated fabrics containing a hydrostatic barrier material poses the problem of how to join the barrier material across a seam without introducing leak pathways. Additionally, the seams provide a weak point in the garment, such that, even if the hydrostatic barrier material is capable of withstanding tens or hundreds of washings without degradation, the seams generally do not withstand more than five or so washings. Thus, the seams are a prime location for the garment to begin to degrade.
Providing waterproof or water resistant inserts for garments or articles such as shoes or boots and gloves or mittens has also been difficult due to the complex three-dimensional shapes of such articles.
It has also been difficult to add such membrane barrier films to garments that incorporate stretchable sections, such as knit socks, gloves, or sweaters, because the membrane barrier films are not made of a sufficiently stretchable or elastic material to match the stretch of the stretchable garment.